Best Of Home

Dara’s Moskowitz Grumdahls Top 5 Healthy Restaurants

Each week on WCCO Radio’s new food show, “Off The Menu” Twin Cities Food Critic for Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl shares her picks for a “Top of the Twin Cities” list. This past Saturday, it was the top 5 restaurants in the Twin Cities where you can find a truly healthy meal!

When it comes to healthy eating and recommended diets, nobody seems to do it better than Greek food. Olive oil, legumes, lemons, fish and more. And according to Dara, nobody does Greek better than Gardens of Salonica. Dishes like Greek salad, Horta with fresh greens and lemon, braised lamb and many more dishes are good for your heart yet still hearty and satisfying. Your doctor will recommend the “Greek Diet” and if you need to go out to find it, Gardens of Salonica delivers it.

Mall food isn’t typically thought of as healthy. But when you can load it up with tons of fresh veggies and healthy choices are all over their menu. Dara recommends the Sichuan Green Beans and the Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Much of the produce at Big Bowl is from local farms which makes their food as fresh as you can find in a fast-food setting. Plus it never hurts to add a little “heat” and Big Bowl delivers there as well. It’s veggies and healthy but with plenty of flavor and kick, all found at a mall near you!

Two in the suburbs, one in the city, all owned by Lynn Gordon who discovered healthy cooking as a teenager when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Since then it’s been healthy all the way for Lynn and her customers. Her menus are chock-full of clean, nutritionally dense, very healthy true foods. Dara’s favorites include Salmon in Parchment and Grass-Fed Cheeseburgers. Yes, a cheeseburger can be good for you when it’s healthy, grass-fed beef done in a responsible way.

This is more about a “Dish” for Dara then it is about where to go. But Bangkok Thai Deli and Tum Rup Thai do it as well or better than any. The dish is called Laarb. What is Laarb? Think of a salad that is popular in Southeast Asia and includes tons of fresh veggies, abundantly seasoned meat and served with cucumbers, lettuce and herbs. You can order it at any “heat” level in these restaurants to bring the flavor to the level you want.

Dara’s choice for the Healthiest Restaurant comes from a seasoned restaurant veteran of the Twin Cities. Her name is Brenda Langton and she’s been making food for Minnesota diners since the 1970’s. For 23 years, Cafe Brenda was a staple in the Minneapolis dining circuit until in closed in 2009. Spoonriver opened in 2006 along the revitalized Mill City Ruins area of downtown Minneapolis. Conveniently located next to the Mill City Farmers Market, Spoonriver is all about healthy. While healthy is important, the food still tastes good and is rich and indulgent. A Duck Confit Salad with toasted Walnuts is among Dara’s favorites. You can eat healthy while still eating sensuous, intense meals. Nobody does that better than Brenda.